On June 12, 2025, Ellipsis Health announced it had secured $45 million in Series A-1 funding to expand its groundbreaking AI-driven patient support platform. At the center of this effort is Sage, a virtual agent that doesn’t just answer questions—it listens, understands, and responds with empathy. As healthcare systems around the world continue to struggle with staffing shortages and rising patient expectations, Sage offers a glimpse into how AI might fill the gaps without removing the humanity from care.
Developed by the San Francisco-based health tech firm and led by founder Mainul Mondal, Sage is unlike most chatbots or virtual assistants. It operates between doctor visits, serving as a digital guide to help patients navigate everything from medication schedules and appointment reminders to discharge instructions and diet management. What makes Sage different is its "empathy engine," trained on over two million clinical conversations. This deep learning framework enables Sage to pick up on subtle emotional cues and adjust its tone and responses accordingly, creating interactions that feel less robotic and more like a compassionate companion.
The funding round, led by CVS Health Ventures, Salesforce, and Khosla Ventures, signals strong confidence in the model. Beyond simply answering questions, Sage can flag emergencies, highlight irregular patient behavior, and seamlessly integrate with electronic medical records and smart health devices. It is already proving invaluable for clinics and providers overwhelmed by staffing constraints. But Ellipsis is careful to frame Sage not as a replacement for human healthcare workers, but as a support layer that expands access and responsiveness.